1a. Define information literacy and discuss the importance of information literacy in contemporary
society.
Definition
Information literacy means a set of skills, attitudes and experience necessary to know when information
is needed to help solve a problem or make a decision, how to articulate that information need in
searchable terms and language, then search efficiently for the information, retrieve it, interpret and
understand it, organize it, evaluate its credibility and authenticity, assess its relevance, communicate it
to others if necessary, then utilize it to accomplish bottom-line purposes.
Lloyd (2010, p.1) Information literacy is a socio-cultural practice, one that is embedded and interwoven
through the practices that constitute a social field (i.e. a context) and as such is subject to collaborative
arrangements and activities. It is constituted by a set of interwoven understandings that guide
interaction and is linked to the activities around information and knowledge sanctioned by any given
setting.
Information literacy is very important to every society in the sense that it enables individuals to
understand various issues and become aware and active members in the society. It helps students to
valuate information and its sources critically and Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge
base. It also helps individuals to consider the costs and benefits of acquiring the needed information so
that they can participate positively in the national development process. Through literacy an individual is
able to combat those challenges that may be affecting him or her in the society and also helps to
enhance various sectors in their field of work. Literacy student validates understanding and
interpretation of the information through discourse with other individuals, subject-area experts, and/or
practitioners. Information literacy shapes and changes the way citizens in the country think, feel, act to
various circumstances in the sense that it builds or strengthens the sense of pride, self-esteem and selfconfidence in students.
Becker (1964) argued that, “information literacy is important and necessary in that it acts like social
instrument or tool for developing human resources and formation of human capital needed to bring
about desired development”. It is important to note that the, relationship that exists between
information literacy and development is not as simple as it seems to be but a bit complex.
In the economic sector information literacy is vital in the sense that it empowers student to be
productive and to participate actively in the income generating activities and economic national
development.
Information literacy also plays an important role in the lives of student especially with regards to social
development. It brings awareness and insights of the importance of the people to use national facilities
or social services such as education and health.
In terms of political development information literacy enables the student to be political literate and to
be active in national affairs. This helps students to develop critical consciousness and become aware of
the various issues in the country. This is vital as it helps student to be able to question certain
governmental actions, decisions, policies as well as the administration of their leaders.
Information literacy is also important in information technology in the sense that it provides students
with knowledge and skills on how to operate computer based machines. It has been noted that colleges
and universities play an important role in providing students with computer literacy and preparing them
for the global IT workforce (Csapo, 2002).
1b. Define information access tools and explain how they can be used by a researcher to find
information.
Information access tools
These are utilities that are used to locate information. They are information finding aids that are meant
to enable users to locate pieces of information quickly and easily in a source that contains large amounts
of information such as a book, library catalogue, the internet search engine, subject gateways or
portals, database , bibliographies. Different access tools are used to find different kinds of information.
Types of information access tools and how they are used
Bibliographies - A bibliography is a list of sources that an author used to write their piece. It is usually
included at the end of a project or paper, and includes information about each source like the title,
author, publication date, and website if the source is digital. Each set of source information is called a
citation. Bibliographies are usually categorized by their content, such as Author bibliography, Subject
bibliography, Trade bibliography, National bibliography.
Internet search engine - A search engine is a website through which users can search internet content.
To do this, users enter the desired search term into the search field. The search engine then looks
through its index for relevant websites and displays them in the form of a list. The search engine’s
internal evaluation algorithm determines which position a website will get in the search results. Google,
Bing and Yahoo are examples of popular search engines.
Indexes - are organized pointers (shortcuts) used to locate information in larger collection and they are
there to minimize full table scans and disk access. Indexes are useful when they match the needs of a
question. Name or Author index and Subject index are the most common and important type of index.
They are implemented by all vendors. Indexes are pointers that help you find some value or range of
values in a table. Index access always begins at the root block. These ranges have pointers to branch
blocks typically for each range. The root block is cached because every use of the index will go through
it.
According to Cook (1981) stand alone indexes are tools designed to make readily available information
that appears in other separate publications.
The purpose of an index is to indicate right position of files and folders, to find files and folders easily, to
help in quick location of files and folders, it provides future reference and to increase efficiency of filing.
Portals - Portal is a term, generally synonymous with gateway, for a World Wide Web site that is or
proposes to be a major starting site for users when they get connected to the Web or that users tend to
visit as an anchor site. There are general portals and specialized or niche portals. Some major general
portals include Yahoo, Microsoft Network.
Abstract - An abstract is a brief overview of the key points of an article, report, thesis, or proposal.
Positioned at the head of a paper, the abstract is usually "the first thing that individuals read and, as
such, decide whether to continue reading" the article or report, wrote Dan W. Butin in his book "The
Education Dissertation." "It is also what is most accessed by search engines and researchers conducting
their own literature reviews" (2010). The abstract is also called a synopsis or an executive summary
(especially in business writing).
An abstract serves the purpose of summarizing a research or making a case study for a project (or grant
funding) to be awarded to you. It should encapsulate the most important information that the paper or
proposal will present.
REFERENCES
Becker, G. (1964).Human Capital. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Becker, G.S. (1981).An Economic Analysis of fertility: In demographic and Economic Change in
Developing Countries. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Hornby, A.S. (2000).Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary. London: Oxford University Press.
Pre Colonial Times to 1996.Lusak: Image Publishers Ltd.
www.thoughtco.com
whatis.techtarget.com